Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union. Local 7 (Seattle, Wash.)

Founded in 1933 as the Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union, Local 18257 of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), it represented Alaska salmon cannery workers and farm workers. In 1937, the union became Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union, Local 7 of the United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America of the Congress of Industrial Organziations (CIO). In 1945, Local 7 became affiliated with the Food, Tobacco, and Agricultural Workers of America (CIO). In 1951 the union became Local 37 of International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, and ca. 1987 it became Region 37 of IBU/ILWU. The membership historically was Filipino American cannery workers.

The Cannery Workers' and Farm Laborers' Union was organized June 19, 1933 in Seattle to represent the primarily Filipino-American laborers who worked in the Alaska salmon canneries. Filipino Alaskeros first appeared in the canneries around 1911. In the 1920s as exclusionary immigration laws went into effect, they replaced the Japanese, who had replaced the Chinese in the canneries. Workers were recruited through labor contractors who were paid to provide a work crew for the summer canning season. The contractor paid workers wages and other expenses. This system led to many abuses and harsh working conditions from which grew the movement toward unionization.

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